Viruses, trojans and other malware love to travel via USB drives these days. It’s up to you to stop them in your business.
Inc. Magazine featured some of the USB malware problems and solutions recently. Here are my top 5 suggestions for small businesses from that article:
- Use a newer operating system. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are less susceptible to USB-carried malware.
- Still on Windows XP? Press the Shift key when you insert a USB stick. That keeps malware from using AutoRun to infect you.
- Buy and use newer USB sticks with security features.
- Update your anti-virus software. Don’t have any? Use Avast Anti-Virus for free.
- Keep critical data on only one computer. Keep USB devices away from it, and keep it offline.
Read more about USB security at Inc. Magazine: Malware takes aim at USB devices.
New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates.
- Best practices for rural housing - July 19, 2021
- How to be more open to new ideas #IdeaFriendly - July 3, 2021
- Market your small town as a movie filming location, attract movie and game fan tourists - June 28, 2021
- Survey of Rural Challenges 2021 results, analysis of themes from 2015 through today - June 7, 2021
- What makes a small town a micropolitan or nanopolitan? - May 22, 2021
- Improving Rural Housing: turning blighted dilapidated houses into new homes - May 7, 2021
- Are marijuana shops good or bad for small towns? - April 22, 2021
- Downtown is your town’s core: How to make your case - February 22, 2021
- Zoom Towns: attracting and supporting remote workers in rural small towns - December 10, 2020
- In an economic crisis, spend your brainpower before your dollars - November 25, 2020
These are some great tips. For #2, another way to prevent AutoRun from running is to disable it entirely in Windows. Here’s the official Microsoft how-to: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/967715.
Alex @ Jackrabbit.com
Thanks, Alex. That isn’t as simple, but once it’s done, you don’t have to worry about remembering.